RECENT news reports show how city hospitals have started reporting arrival of dengue fever patients as the mosquito menace increased with the rains. There must be targeted health campaign to stop its spread in absence of any focused dengue control programme by city corporations or health care officials.
According to health experts, June-July period is the breeding season of Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue virus. They lay eggs in clean water that gather and remain stagnant in tyres, drums, containers and at low places. Data of the National Health Crisis Management Centre and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services show that 68 patients have been admitted to different city hospitals and clinics with dengue fever between July 1 and 23. Interestingly, the Directorate officials said, most dengue infections were reported from the posh areas including Dhanmondi, Ramna, Iskaton, Gulshan and Banani. Chief Health Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation claimed that they have their normal anti-mosquito drives in progress and now the drive would be strengthened further.
Dengue claims many lives each year and probably affects thousands during the monsoon season. Yet there is no serious efforts for anti-mosquito drives or public awareness programme to be helpful to the people. There seems to be no anxiety on the part of authorities to protect people from dengue fever though the task is not so easy. This is really unfortunate that despite an elephant size government, it is not feeling accountable to the people and as such not taking up programmes to make people aware about how to protect them from it. The issue is to keep the places clean and not available for this special type of mosquitos to breed.
If the poor people have to suffer for not being able to bear the cost of treatment of dengue fever then there is no justification of paying so many health care officials from public funds for doing something to prevent such contagious diseases. The Health Ministry like others come to believe that they do not have to serve the people.
